Ruby Robes & Serpent Woes
by CommanderHeartthrob
Summary: Lydia "Baby Blue" Andrews is the black sheep of the family. She's a Southside Serpent legacy, the on-again of-again girlfriend of Riverdale High's most popular redhead. Can she keep her friends safe while still functioning as a normal 17 year old girl, or will her actions put her on the hit-list of some of Riverdale's most notable mob men? (CROSSPOSTED ON AO3 & WATTPAD)
1. epigraph

"Her mother told her she could grow up

to be anything she wanted to be,

so she grew up to become

the strongest of the strong,

the strangest of the strange,

the wildest of the wild,

the wolf leading the wolves.

-Nikita Gill


	2. one

one

A group of three teenagers sat in a booth at Pop's Chock' lit Shoppe telling stories of their adventures from the past summer. One, a blonde girl with light green eyes— Betty Cooper. Next, the tallest of the three tucked into the corner of the booth near the window opposite Betty, a dusty redheaded boy with chocolate brown eyes by the name of Archibald _"Archie"_ Andrews. Finally, next to Archie, sat a girl similar in height to him with raven hair, colorful strips of blue scattered among the ends, with facial piercings and intense blue eyes, wearing a leather jacket with the "Southside Serpents" s-shaped emblem embroidered on the back; Archie's older sister, and the black sheep of the Andrews family, Lydia _"Baby Blue" _Andrews.

Everyone knew Lydia, the original HBIC of Riverdale High **before** Cheryl Blossom came to take over the school with a single glance. The Southside knew her as the _Serpent Princess _and the frontman for the Serpent punk-rock band _Spitting Venom_. She fiercely defended those that she loved and cared about. Among the list were:

_Jughead Jones_, who shared a connection to Lydia not yet known by many of the teens throughout Riverdale.

_Elizabeth_ and _Polly Cooper_, two of her closest friends and the daughters of her mother's best friend, _Alice Smith_— now known as Alice Cooper.

_The Andrews family_, who had taught her to keep her mind sharp and her heart full.

_Antoinette Topaz_— a direct descendant of one of the founding members of the Southside Serpents, and Lydia's first girlfriend as well as one of her closest confidants.

The Serpent Legacy _Emery Westin_— Lydia's best friend since childhood— and her younger sister _Zoe_, who the Serpent Princess would protect with her life.

And _Cheryl Blossom_, the Red Queen that came into town and swept her off her feet while she was still studying at Pembrooke Academy and Lydia had been at Riverdale Middle School.

Lydia had been thinking about her summer internship turned full-time job as the _Lead Forensic Photographer_ and _Blood Spatter Analyst_ for Riverdale's Sheriff's Department. As far as the police were aware, Jason and Cheryl Blossom drove out to Sweetwater River for an early morning boat ride just after dawn on the fourth of July. The next thing they knew happened for sure was that Dilton Doiley, who was leading Riverdale's Boy Scouts Troop on a bird watching expedition, came upon Cheryl by the river's edge. Lydia, along with the Riverdale police, dragged Sweetwater River for Jason's body but never found it. Lydia knew it wouldn't be there, the _plan_ was for Jason to make it out on the other side of the town line alive. So, a week later, the Blossom family buried an empty casket and Jason's death was ruled an accident as the story that Cheryl and Lydia told made the rounds. Cheryl dropped a glove in the water, and Jason reached down to get it, and accidentally tipped the boat, panicked, and drowned. The girls waited for the Blossom boy to call, check in at any point to let them know he was safe and away from his wretched family, but that call never came.

Lydia longed to be anywhere but in a booth with her younger brother and their neighbor— her best friend's younger sister— staring at him with the most obvious heart-eyes anyone could see from five miles away. People would tell Lydia that Betty looked at her the same way that she looked at Archie, but she could never see it. Besides, they were practically family, and Lydia wasn't one to stand for people mingling within their own bloodline.

"So, what was the highlight?" Archie asked, leaning on the table in front of him.

"Of my internship?" Betty asked, before continuing. "The Toni Morrison book release party I organized, by far. At the end of the night, Toni Morrison, who, as you both know is my literary hero, says to me..."

"Yes, yes, we know," the siblings respond, nodding. Lydia focused in and out of the conversation, not caring about Betty gushing over Archie every second she opened her mouth. She wondered where Cheryl might have been at that moment in time; they hadn't said a word to one another around their friends since the Blossom girl had called off their on-again off-again relationship to, in her own words, _protect her from what was to come_. During that time, Lydia had left on a road trip with Toni to visit family in New York City—a cover-up for Lydia fleeing from Penelope and Clifford Blossom's wrath when they started to catch on to the fact that the Andrews girl had been romantically involved with one of their golden children. The trip quickly became a slew of accidental meetings between the Serpent and a New York socialite who had been enamored with the girl.

They had shared a drunken kiss in the bathroom of a dingy hole-in-the-wall college bar, which the local girl had initiated. Lydia had immediately called Cheryl from a payphone the next morning and told her about what had happened in the dark bar with the stranger, having regretted the entire night before. There hadn't been any contact between the two girls since Lydia had left the City to return home for her summer internship, having received her certifications in the _Big Apple_ with the NYC Port Authority. Although she had missed three months of her High School education and had to repeat her Sophomore year, she couldn't have been happier to be back in her small town where everybody knew everyone with spying eyes all over. That was until Jason Blossom, Cheryl's twin brother, had gone missing at Sweetwater River roughly one week after Lydia Andrews returned home.

"Don't rush this time, Betty. It goes by so fast at your age. One summer can change everything." Betty pressed her thumbs to her lips. Lydia repeated those simple words in her head; _One summer can change everything_. She couldn't believe how strongly those words had resonated with her in that moment.

"Wow, that's deep," Lydia said, swirling her strawberry malt with her straw.

"Wow, that's so true," Archie said, talking over his sister, forcing her to roll her eyes.

"How was working for your dad?" Betty asked, eyebrows raised.

"It was... pouring concrete, every day, all day long." Archie shrugged as he talked. "To pass the time, I would start composing these poems in my head. And at night, I'd go home, I'd write them down..."

"You don't even like reading poetry." Betty cut him off, causing Lydia to chuckle. She knew Betty and Archie weren't going to ask about her forensics internship; everyone knew she was a part of the team on the Blossom case. _How was your internship, Lydia?_ They'd ask. _Oh, you know, I just trudged the place where Cheryl and I had our first date for days while searching for her brother's body. Usual Riverdale bullshit._

"They weren't poems, they were song lyrics." Archie looked over at his sister before looking back at Betty. "And working on them made me feel like..."

"What, Archie?" Betty cut him off again, begging him to get to the point. Lydia watched the door to Pop's, waiting for someone, anyone, to come in and take her away from the conversation in front of her. She couldn't stand watching Betty's puppy eyes for her brother knowing that Archie didn't feel the same way about her.

"It made me feel like I had finally broken through to something real. About my life and what I should be trying to do with it. _Music!_ Starting this year, _tomorrow!_" Archie mustered up all the energy he could in the tiny booth. Betty nodded and smiled while he talked. Lydia just sighed and looked down at her malt once more, finally putting the straw to her lips.

"Amazing! Will you ask Ms. Grundy to tutor you?" Betty asked. If Lydia didn't know any better, she would have choked on her milkshake without delay. Archie and Betty droned on as Lydia tried to conjure something, anything, to pull her out of this never-ending conversation.

"I'm not sure, maybe."

"What about football? Can you do both?"

"I'll try out, at least."

"Well, have you told your dad?"

"No. Until I've got things figured out, you're the only two people I'm telling, okay?" Betty and Lydia nodded as Lydia looked around the diner.

"Well, I'd love to hear them sometime. Your songs!" Betty grinned from ear to ear as she pointed an open palm at Archie.

"Yeah?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah," she nodded, quickly.

"Yeah, I'm finishing a couple demos tonight."

"Great. Also... I've been thinking about us, Archie," Betty said, completely forgetting that Lydia was around.

"Oh boy," Lydia sighed, as she slumped in the booth, staring straight ahead.

"And our friendship, and how it's time we..." The bell to pop's jingled and Lydia sat up, locking eyes with the breathtakingly beautiful hooded girl entering the diner. The girl gently removed her hood, eyes remaining locked with Lydia's as if they had recognized each other immediately. The Serpent's mouth slowly opened as she swallowed hard. The raven-haired girl slowly moved towards the booth that the three were seated in, forcing Lydia to mumble to herself.

"Oh, _Fuck_," she said, looking the girl up and down as she moved closer, quickly hiding her face and turning back to her strawberry malt, forcing Archie and Betty to look over as well.

"I called in an order for Lodge," The girl said to Pop Tate as he made his way up the aisles.

"Two burgers, yeah, but you gotta wait." He said, blocking the group's view of the girl. He quickly headed towards the register on the other side of the diner.

"Hi," Veronica said, stepping up to their table, standing extremely close to Lydia. The Serpent cleared her throat and continued to pay Veronica no mind.

"Hey," Archie said, looking past his sister.

"How are the onion rings here?" She asked, looking directly at Lydia.

"They're the best I've ever had," She responded, talking into her glass.

"Can we get some onion rings too, please?" Veronica looked away and called out to Pop, giving Lydia the opportunity to quickly look Veronica up and down once more. The Serpent wanted to make sure this was the _right_ New York socialite that _just_ walked into the diner, as if the girl's prayers were answered with the worst possible solution. Betty threw her coaster at Lydia, clearing her throat.

"Yeah," Pop responded, dully.

"Thanks," Veronica said, looking back to the group at the table. "My mom and I just moved here, so..."

"From where?" Archie asked, all too eager.

"New York," Veronica looked to Betty and nodded before looking back at Lydia, noticing that the Serpent had mumbled the same words under her breath. She struggled to place the brunette's face which caused her to furrow her brow. Betty gave Lydia a kick in the shin, which caused her to wince and look up. Once Veronica could see the girl's full face, she had finally put the puzzle together in her head. "Blue?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Who?" Lydia coughed, panicking. "You must have me confused with someone else, I'm sorry." Lydia quickly regained her composure, sitting taller. She picked up her glass and watched Veronica's face as she sipped from the red straw sticking out of her now melted shake.

"Uh-huh," The brunette replied, nodding as one perfectly sculpted brow arched upward. She quickly changed the subject "Do you guys go to Riverdale?" Veronica asked.

"We do. The three of us. Together." Betty said, talking over Archie who was still locking eyes with Veronica.

"Yeah, we're sophomores," Archie said, nodding.

"Speak for yourself, I'm only a Sophomore for three months," Lydia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Me too," Veronica responded, a half smile pointed at Betty. "I'm filled with dread."

"Why is that?" Lydia asked, spinning her straw in her cup with as she groaned internally.

"Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote?" Veronica asked, looking back at Lydia. _Of course, bar trivia_, Lydia thought, wanting to crush the glass under her hands.

"Of course," Lydia responded. "_Breakfast at Tiffany's, In Cold Blood, Miriam_," She listed a few, her eyes scanning the room for any excuse to leave the conversation.

"I'm _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, but this place is strictly _In Cold Blood_." Veronica stated, looking between the three of them, her gaze resting on Lydia. The two younger teens looked at each other and laughed as Lydia glared at Veronica, practically begging her to stop playing games.

"Hey, I wouldn't say that so soon, you may learn to like it here," Archie said as he winked at her and earned a smirk in return. Betty glared at the redheaded boy as Veronica introduced herself.

"Veronica Lodge." She put her hand out in front of Lydia, which the girl reluctantly took in her own.

"Lydia Andrews," She forced a smile. "Uh, this is Betty Cooper," She let go of Veronica's hand and pointed across the table to Betty. "And this, behind me, is my brother Archie."

"Wait, are you two..." Betty cut Veronica off.

"Supposed to give you your tour tomorrow? Yes." Lydia rolled her eyes, their blue color darkening with her attitude shift. "We're your peer mentors." Lydia locked eyes with Betty before she mouthed the words _Really? You're making me do this?_ Veronica didn't seem to notice.

"Do you want to join us?" Archie asked "Hey, maybe we can un-fill you with dread."

"My mom's waiting for me, but to be continued." Veronica winked at Lydia before slowly sauntering away. Lydia's eyes didn't leave Veronica until she had exited the diner. _What was she doing here?_

"What were you saying?" Archie asked, returning his attention to Betty.

"Nothing," she responded, looking into Archie's eyes.


	3. two

two

Emery sighed as she walked into the Whyte Wyrm. Normally this would be a place of comfort, the people here were more her family than those that shared her blood but tonight she just wasn't in the mood; she would rather be back at her trailer with her little sister in her arms. Instead, here she was making her way through the crowd— Zoe asleep with their elderly neighbor watching over the small girl— because the dirty blonde had promised Lydia she'd at _least_ stop by.

While the Serpents were the teens family, Toni and Lydia felt genuinely like her sisters. A promise from Emery was something never broken, her word all she truly had. "Fangs!" She called out as she placed her hand on his shoulder, gently turning him to face her. "You see Lily recently?" Her voice competed against the music and commotion of the full house that surrounded them.

Fangs nodded his head toward the bar, "Last I saw, she was over there." As quickly as he had managed to answer her, he turned back to the pool table in front of him and continued his game with Sweet Pea.

"Thanks," Emery gave him a soft smile before making her way through the crowd once more. Her shoulders relaxed the moment she saw the familiar dark locks with colorful tips. Once close enough, Emery wrapped an arm around Lydia's waist, the contact further relaxing her. "Boo," A playful smirk painted on her lips as she felt the Serpent twitch under her touch.

Lydia jumped slightly, having been in a deep conversation— more of an argument— with Toni who had been standing behind the bar. "Shit," She mumbled, turning to see the blonde who had appeared behind her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to spook me, ass?" Lydia asked, laughing as she pulled Emery in for a hug. She could tell that the girl wasn't in the greatest of moods. "What's got you in a funk, punk?"

As the curse passed the Serpent's lips, Em couldn't stop the chuckle that bubbled in her throat. She sent a wink in Toni's direction before returning her attention to Lydia, "Probably a million more times, and even then it's doubtful I'll listen. I mean _I am_ an ass. Though, that makes me wonder what exactly you are..." Her tone was just as playful as the smirk on her lips. Emery's arms wrapped around Lydia, her head resting on the other girl's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Blue. Nothing we can do," She whispered before pulling back. Emery turned toward Toni, "I will take whatever this one's having."

Lydia smirked and rolled her eyes at the blonde as Toni looked up from the glass she had been drying.

"Double captain and coke it is," Toni said, happy to step away from what would have quickly became an intense argument between the two serpents. Emery could both see and feel the tension between the two radiating across the bar. A single brow rose as Toni moved to make her drink.

"Hey, at least you saved me from that mess," Lydia said, laughing as she brought her glass to her lips. "Sit," She said, dragging the stool that rested to her right closer to her so that Emery wouldn't have to sit next to Tall Boy. She patted the leather seat cushion before noticing that her phone screen had illuminated, indicating a text from Cheryl. She sighed and flipped her phone over so that it was face down on the wooden bar top. She knew the lecture she would get from the Blossom girl for drinking on a school night. Even though she was nowhere near being intoxicated, she knew Cheryl had certain expectations for the first day back at school. Lydia didn't want the redhead to feel as though her plans had been undermined, although that was sure to change as the night went on.

"And by that mess you mean what?" Emery asked as she sat down on the stool, one elbow resting on the bar as she turned her body to face Lydia. She watched the girl closely, not even needing to guess who had messaged her friend. "Well, that explains some of it." Emery leaned closer before she continued. "Hey, what's going on, Blue?" Her playful tone was gone, quickly replaced by the concern of a close friend.

Lydia huffed as she slid in her seat slightly. "Toni doesn't believe that Cheryl should be coming around the Wyrm anymore after Penelope and Clifford went on a witch hunt. Not to mention the fact that I may have gotten a little too drunk while we went to visit Evie and kinda-sorta went against my better judgement and kissed a pretty socialite in a bar bathroom and now she's shown up in Riverdale." Lydia took another sip before putting her glass down on the bar top as Toni returned with Emery's drink.

"Yeah, not sure mess covers _that_," Emery muttered as Toni approached them. The moment the drink was in front of the blonde and the violet haired girl began to speak, Em took a healthy gulp.

"I told you not to go out, you were too _in your feelings_ over your breakup, and I know you better than you think," Toni said, pointing a finger at the dark-haired girl.

"Okay," Em placed the glass back down. "One, Cheryl is gonna show up even if Lil' tells her not to. It's Cheryl. _Stubborn as a bull_ Cheryl." Her words were directed toward Toni. "I love you, Topaz, but suck it up buttercup." She looked back to Lydia before continuing. "Two, she's right. You shouldn't have gone out. _You_ plus _alcohol_ plus _emotional whirlwind_ that is your heart for Cheryl equals _bad decisions_. I am, however, proud that it was only a kiss. You're an idiot, but I'm proud you walked away."

Again, Emery looked toward Toni, "However, we have _all_ made drunken mistakes. Also, there was no way, Lil' knew this chick would move here." Her voice raised slightly as she talked with an open palm, moving back and forth between the two girls before her. "I mean New York City to _Riverdale_? Yeah, not normal." Emery took another drink, her brows furrowing, "Wait... you mean Miss Mysterious that showed at Pop's earlier— the one that totally stole _golden boy's_ attention— is the chick you kissed in New York?" Emery might have avoided Pop's at all costs that night but it didn't mean that Betty hadn't filled her in on everything that had happened.

Lydia sighed and nodded. "Yeah, the raven-haired tornado that blew through Pop's is the same one from that trip." She shook her head, picking up her glass once more. "The same one I ran into in every bookstore and coffee shop in Manhattan." She took a quick sip from her glass before glancing up at Emery. "Cheryl doesn't know she's here yet, either." Toni sighed, placing her palms on the bar top.

"Which is why I keep telling you that you need to tell her before someone else does," Toni said, shaking her head.

A humorless laugh left Emery's lips, "Oh, how the plot thickens. Do you enjoy the tornado Cheryl turns into when she's a) ill-informed and put on the spot and b) threatened by someone trying to take what's rightfully hers? Because, if not, you need to tell her before tomorrow. She'll find out one way or another." She shook her head, twirling her glass slightly as the ice melted. "Trust me, you want it to come from you before you're cornered into telling her or someone beats you to it." Emery finished her drink, pointing the empty glass towards Toni. "I need another one if we're going to work through the damn web you've built for yourself." All thoughts of her own shitty night have gone out the window.

"You're not wrong," Lydia said, sighing. "But if I call her now, she's going to know for a fact that I've been drinking, and I'll never hear the end of that." Toni rolled her eyes at the brunette, turning to make Emery another drink.

"This is why I told you to call her and tell her the moment you walked in," Toni shook her head as she spoke, facing away from the other girls.

"Yeah, well, you know I'm a stubborn bitch and do things my own way," Lydia laughed, picking up her phone and glancing at the screen. She immediately let out a groan when she saw multiple texts from the Blossom girl. "She's going to murder me in my sleep, I already know it."

"Um, I would rather never hear the end of drinking on a school night than never hear the end of you drunk kissing a girl while on the run," Emery lifted her hands, pretending to weigh her options. "One you have heard before, the other?" She tsked, shaking her head at the brunette. "Well, let's just say it's going to be a _super interesting_ first day of school tomorrow for _so many_ reasons." She elbowed Lydia lightly, "Make the damn call, chicken." She leaned closer to the Serpent, "Don't let something else build a wedge between you two. Even with all the shit, I still say one day I'm going to be standing next to you when you marry that girl. She's your one. You don't know how lucky that makes you." Emery leaned back out of Lydia's personal bubble before continuing. "Oh, and if she does kill you, I call dibs on your bike."

"First of all, no one is getting Jolene," Lydia said, pointing a finger at Emery. "That's my baby and I built her from the ground up." She laughed, shaking her head before looking at the texts on her phone. "Second, fine, but only because I love you and I don't need Cheryl ripping everyone's heads off first thing in the morning." She scrolled through the texts— mostly consisting of Cheryl asking if she was okay— before slamming her phone down on the bar top and clearing her throat.

"On second thought, maybe I'll call her later," Lydia said, having come across a photo that really shouldn't have been viewed in public. "If I call her now, she's going to think it's for something _much different_ than letting her know that _Veronica Lodge_ has moved into town," She said, a blush creeping across her face quickly as she finished her drink.

Emery scrunched her nose as she saw Lydia's reaction. Between her words and the blush as she put her phone back down, Emery didn't even have to ask what was going on. "Oh come on," The words are nearly a whine. "Toni! Put extra alcohol in that drink!" Emery shook her head, "Even on a break you get more than me." The blonde scoffed, resting her elbow against the bar as she placed her chin in her palm.

"Who said we're still on a break?" Lydia asked, a grin on her face with a brow slightly turned upward. She laughed as she shook her head. Toni came back, placing Emery's fresh drink down before she took the empty glasses from the two girls seated in front of her.

Emery's eyes widened slightly at the confession. "What? When?! I haven't seen you in two days?" The brunette mouthed the word _July_ and a huff left Emery's lips as she rolled her eyes at Lydia's response.

"Lydia, if you don't call her I will, and we both know how poorly that'll go down if I do." Toni smirked at the brunette, holding the now empty glasses in front of her face.

"Good lord, that just spells destruction. You want Cheryl to come in here and shoot me with an arrow in the middle of the Wyrm?" Lydia laughed, leaning back on her stool.

Toni shrugged before speaking again. "That's your call, Blue." Lydia shook her head, frowning.

"Fine, but whatever comes from this is completely on your shoulders, Topaz," Lydia picked up her phone and dialed Cheryl's number before running a hand down her face.

Emery gave Toni another smile as she finally took her drink in her hand, "Thanks." She took her free hand to lightly rub Lydia's back, "You're doing the right thing."

Lydia smiled at the blonde as Cheryl answered the phone. "Hey, Red," She started, looking down at her fingers as she picked at the edge of the bar, fidgeting. "No, love. I called because there's some information that you need to hear from me and not someone else before school starts tomorrow." She rolled her eyes at the Blossom girl on the other side of the phone. "No, Cheryl. Listen, Veronica Lodge is in town for some reason and—" She pulled the receiver away from her ear, nodding as Cheryl yelled over the phone.

**"What do you mean Veronica's in town,"** Cheryl growled. She could be heard throwing her blankets off herself and standing up from her place in her bed. **"She's in for a rude awakening if she thinks she can just get away with what she did in New York and then come into my playground like nothing ever happened."** Emery winced at the sound of Cheryl yelling but continued to rub lazy circles against Lydia's back.

"Cheryl," Lydia said, placing her thumb on the bridge of her nose. The sound of dresser drawers slamming caused the brunette to roll her eyes.

**"No, I have some planning I need to do,"** Cheryl responded, the line quickly going silent. Lydia shook her head, raising her brows as she immediately received a text from the fireball.

_Cheryl— I'll see you in an hour, Lilykins. I love you._

"Yup, love you too," Lydia sighed, placing her phone back on the bar top. "Well, that went..."

"Technically, with how it could have gone, I would count it as a small win. At least for tonight," Emery shrugged as she took another sip of her drink. "So, how are you going to handle Miss Lodge? I mean, how did you tonight?"

"Well," Lydia started, looking down at her hands. "I did what any person would do, logically, and pretended I never met her." Toni laughed, shaking her head which caused Lydia to glare at the smaller girl. "She knows Blue, she doesn't know Lydia Andrews. In fact, when she finally saw my face, she called me by my serpent name, which Liz and Archie don't know." Lydia shook her head, spinning her phone against the bar.

"Oh, and your _sweet_ Betty Cooper _voluntold_ _me_ to be one of Veronica's student guides tomorrow, which is _great_." The sarcasm dripped from Lydia's lips as she tapped her fingers against the bar. Emery groaned as Lydia admitted to pulling the _never-happened-don't-know-you_ card. She understood it, but still. Again, Emery elbowed the brunette, this time a little harder than before.

"Hey, don't blame Betty. It's not like she knows what happened or what it could possibly cause. Not to mention, she probably wants you there for comfort, Lil'. She was going to tell that oaf you call a brother how she felt tonight, but in walks your _New York City beauty_ and said oaf starts drooling." Em downed the rest of her drink; it was no secret how Emery felt about Archie. She loved Lydia to pieces, but Archie? She tolerated him for Betty and Lydia's sake. Archie rubbed her the wrong way for multiple reasons, she was just waiting for the day where everyone else saw it too. Though, it wouldn't be the day Em said _told you so_. She couldn't do that to them. "Look, I will play as much interference as I can tomorrow, alright?"

Lydia nodded in understanding. She couldn't stand Archie and his sense of entitlement, especially after she had caught him having a fling with his teacher, but he was still family and she still had to treat him as such. She checked the time on her phone, realizing how late it was before looking up to Toni.

"Water, please, Toni," Lydia said, receiving a nod in response from the Serpent girl. She turned to Emery with sad eyes. "I really hate to cut this short, but it's back-to-school movie night and I neglected to clean before rushing out here."

Emery hummed before standing, stuffing a hand into her jean pocket to hunt for some cash to pay for the drinks, "Time is a bitch." She laid a twenty down on the bar, "I'll meet you at your locker in the morning." She wrapped her arms around Lydia in an awkward hug.

"Get home safe, Em," Lydia said, smiling as she hugged Emery back. "I'll see you in the morning." She looked over to see Fangs watching them, instantly sending a mock salute in his direction.

Emery pulled back before leaning across the bar to give Toni as much of a hug as she could, "Night, Toni." She landed softly back onto her heels. "I love you both, be careful."

"Call me if you need anything, Emery," Toni said, stepping back from giving the blonde an awkward side hug across the bar.

"Always do." The blonde's words were directed towards both Serpents as she turned to leave, making sure she had all of her things. It was rare for Emery to ever ask for help, but asking Toni never hurt her pride or made her feel like she would be forever in the other girl's debt. That's what family did, helped and never expected anything back.

Lydia picked up her water, taking a sip before standing up from her stool, needing to stretch her legs. "Hey, don't forget that the River Vixen tryouts are this week," She called to Emery before the blonde left the bar, taking a few steps towards Fangs and the pool table he was resetting. She really wanted to get a game in before she needed to get home but, if Cheryl's attitude was any sign of how the night would pan out, she needed to get going sooner rather than later. Emery rolled her eyes, she heard Lydia but didn't say a word. The day Emery tried out for the Vixen's was the day that hell froze over.

* * *

Lydia sat in her garage-apartment thumbing through the piles of paper that lay scattered across her bed. She looked up at the figure that sat restlessly at the edge of her bed, the girl's red locks cascading along her back and resting against the bed underneath her. The girl leaned forward, unclasping her stiletto from around her ankle as she sighed. Lydia tried to organize the papers around her as neatly as she could as she watched the redhead from the corner of her eye.

"Are you sure you want to stay here tonight, Red?" Lydia asked, her brow slightly furrowed as she mindlessly organized her lesson plans and separated them from her case notes. Cheryl turned back to look at the other girl, one of her brows arching ever so slightly as a devious smirk pulled at her lips. She let her heel clatter against the cement floor as she began to speak.

"Do you really think I would miss back-to-school movie night?" Cheryl asked, unclipping her opposite heel and letting it clatter against the floor with the first. The raven-haired girl smirked slightly, shaking her head. "Besides, _Mommy and Daddy dearest_ think I'm staying with Tiffany and Ginger tonight." Lydia scrunched her nose at the pet names the redhead decided to use for her parents. It was that moment when the brunette cherished that her nicknames were, for the most part, all in French.

"Didn't you have some conniving to do with the henchmen?" Lydia asked, her hands freezing in place as she looked up to find the Blossom girl beginning to crawl across the bed towards her.

"What, you don't think that arriving to school with you in the morning is in any way part of my plan?" Cheryl scoffed; her head tilted slightly as she watched the brunette swallow hard. She continued to crawl towards Lydia, her palms pressing against papers as she moved.

"Cheryl, I need those for tomorrow," Lydia whined, tilting her head back slightly as she groaned.

"Not anymore you don't," The redhead retorted, her smile only grew larger as she slowly made her way toward her girlfriend. Once Cheryl was within arms-reach, Lydia grabbed the other girl and pulled her into her chest. She couldn't help but laugh when she heard the other girl squeal, quickly pinning the redhead down.

"I don't, huh?" The brunette asked, earning a small nod from Cheryl. The redhead couldn't keep her lower lip from slipping between her teeth as she smirked up at Lydia. The Serpent leaned down, laughing as the papers crinkled from underneath Cheryl when the redhead leaned upwards. The brunette watched as the Blossom girl's eyes fluttered closed, her own quickly doing the same as their lips pressed together, her hand moving to cradle the back of the other girl's head. Cheryl was all too eager and Lydia was all too willing. Together, just the two of them, it was like all their troubles melted away. Nothing could penetrate their safety bubble, interrupt their happiness.


	4. three

three

The next morning, Archie stood at his locker before being bombarded by one of his football teammates, Reggie, about his workout routine. Lydia walked past them, rolling her eyes when she heard Reggie questioning Archie about his sex life. She was sure that she was the only one who knew about Grundy, having caught them together while she was on a run near Sweetwater River. Lydia quickly made her way to where she was to meet with Betty and Veronica, wishing that she hadn't been voluntold for the position as Betty had done to her so many times before. She sighed, really not wanting to face the world that morning, let alone find out what Cheryl had planned to try and knock the new girl down a few pegs. She shook her head, opening her locker door and shoving her Serpent Jacket inside before putting her books for the first half of the day into her bag.

Emery walked through the crowded halls with her head held high, an air of _I don't give a damn_ rolling off her— her aviators still in place over her eyes, bag draped over her shoulder, and a drink holder with three coffees in her hand. She hadn't really given much thought to her appearance that morning as she made sure her little sister was taken care of and ready for her first day of kindergarten. She came to a stop next to Lydia's locker, leaning against the one beside it. With her free hand, the blonde slipped her sunglasses off, tucking them into her bag before picking up one of the coffees.

"I come with gifts," Emery smirked, offering a coffee to the raven-haired girl. "Seems I guessed right when I figured you'd need a pick-me-up."

"Ugh, you're a life saver," Lydia sighed, taking the coffee from Emery. "How difficult was Zo to get out the door this morning?" She asked, bringing the coffee to her lips as she closed her locker, the steam from the to-go cup fogging her glasses. She scrunched her nose, pulling up a hand to place her glasses on the top of her head for a moment.

"It wasn't so bad, actually," Emery shrugged. "She was nervous but excited. The new clothes, the backpack, it made her happy. Plus, she thinks she's just like us now. Going to school. The worst part was getting her to let go once we got her to her classroom." She pushed off the locker, giving Lydia a slight look when she watched the other girl pull her phone from her back pocket to check her text messages. She told herself she wanted to make sure she hadn't missed anything from the early River Vixen's meeting, but she was honestly worried about what Cheryl had prepared.

"Nerves kind of took over, but she'll be okay. I'm just glad the school district hasn't figured out we moved across the tracks. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love being on the Southside— family and whatnot— but I want Zo in the Northside schools." The blonde pulled her own coffee out of the tray, taking a sip. "You see _Miss Cherry Cola_ yet?" She asked, looking the serpent up and down, trying to understand her friend's body language.

"I get what you mean," Lydia started, refusing to imagine what putting the girl through the Southside schools would be like. "And no, I haven't seen Cheryl yet. I mean, not since we left the house this morning and she went off for the Vixens meeting. Maybe she's ignoring me after remembering Vee's in town." She laughed at the idea that Cheryl would be able to ignore her, knowing the redhead couldn't go ten minutes without some form of contact. Emery raised a brow, knowing the same. "I'm sure we'll see her eventually. She's probably in the common room with the goons." Lydia turned and looked down the hall, sighing.

"Ignoring?" The blonde scoffed, shaking her head. "Oh, _no_. No." She laughed, pulling her coffee cup up to her lips, feeling the steam against her face for a moment. "Plotting and waiting to pounce? Sure. There isn't a doubt in my mind about that." She glanced down the hall, her emerald eyes trying to spot Betty. The sigh that left Lydia's lips caught her attention.

"Hey, it's all going to work out. Cheryl is going to be Cheryl, but just remember it's all a defense mechanism. Like my _wonderful_ sarcasm when I'm forced to be around _the oaf_." Lydia laughed and nodded, knowing neither of them could stand Archie lately. "Come on, I still need to swing by my locker. Afterwards, you get to play _peer mentor,_ and I get to give Coops her coffee." Lydia rolled her eyes, knowing that this was Emery's method of staying out of Betty's peer mentor program. She dreaded the upcoming session, knowing she still had two classes to teach on top of Vixen meetings throughout the day.

"I already want to run as far away as I can, but it would be very _anti-HBIC_ of me to do that." Lydia glanced at her feet, taking a deep breath before looking ahead and preparing herself for the worst to come. She wished Betty hadn't voluntold her for the job last minute, but she knew it was the only way the blonde could get her to follow through with anything. Emery took a step closer, gently bumping her shoulder against Lydia's.

"I know I can only do so much, but I am here for you. I've got your back no matter what. I might gripe at you and tease you, but I do love you, Lily. You're not alone, you're family." Emery tilted her head slightly, a thought popping into her head. "You try to run and I'll drag your skinny ass right back here." She popped open her locker, placing the coffees inside for a moment while she slipped her bag open, getting the books she needed. She shrugged her Serpent jacket off, hanging it up on its hook inside her locker.

"I know, I know," Lydia rolled her eyes. "I love you too, Em." She laughed as she leaned against the lockers next to Emery's, quickly noticing a group of three make their way towards the two of them. "Oh boy," the brunette sighed, immediately regaining her composure and standing tall. "Queen of the Northside and her disciples, incoming." She took a sip from her coffee cup as she watched Cheryl, Tiffany and Ginger walk their way.

A groan left Emery's lips as she grabbed the coffees from her locker and slammed the door shut. "Cheryl I can handle this early. Thing one and thing two, not so much," she muttered as she stood taller, the _I don't give a damn_ composure returning as she turned to face the three head on.

"Morning, Em!" Cheryl chirped, coming up to the two of them. She tried to muster up her best fake-angry face that she could. "Deedee," She groaned, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight as she pushed out her hip. Ginger and Tiffany mimicked her, both henchmen glaring at the Serpent Princess.

"Morning, Cherry Cola," Emery replied with a lopsided grin. It was best to play it calm and normal, which meant that she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes at _thing one_ and _thing two_ as they copied Cheryl. The blonde hid an amused smile behind her coffee as she took another sip. No matter how much drama Cheryl and Lydia went through, they always came back to each other like magnets. She was one of the few who supported their relationship, one of the few who knew how much they needed each other. Emery envied them, drama and all.

"Morning, dear," Lydia smirked, tilting her head as she placed an arm around Cheryl's waist. Although the Blossom girl rolled her eyes, she still leaned into Lydia's touch. Her eyes scanned the halls for Betty and Veronica, ready to mow them down at any second. Emery watched how Cheryl's eyes scanned the hall and her stomach tied itself in knots. Lydia pulled her coffee cup towards her lips once again, taking a quick sip before clearing her throat to get Cheryl's attention.

"I'd appreciate as little collateral damage as possible, Red," Lydia hummed, scanning the shorter girl's face. "At least for the first half of the day, please?" She watched Cheryl's face fall before she quickly regained her composure, nodding.

"I'll try my best, Lily," Cheryl responded, her goons looking at each other utterly confused. Lydia leaned in and whispered in Cheryl's ear quickly.

"Don't show the cracks in your armor around the _hair models of the damned_," Lydia joked, placing a quick kiss on Cheryl's cheek, making sure she didn't smear her dark lipstick against the Blossom girl's porcelain skin. If she did, she'd never hear the end of it. Lydia knew that the addition of Veronica only stressed Cheryl out more on her first day back after Jason went _missing_. It was bad enough that she had to speak in front of the entire school that afternoon, but she had to do it alone along with worrying about the Lodge girl's intentions until the school day ended.

The bewildered look on the henchmen's faces caused a laugh to bubble up in Emery's throat before she could even attempt to swallow it down. With a shake of her head, her eyes scanned the hall until they landed on Betty walking their way. The Cooper girl was completely distracted by Kevin and the brunette that Emery could only assume was Veronica. She could admit that the brunette was attractive but, just like with Archie, something about the other girl rubbed her the wrong way. She softly cleared her throat, eyes locking with Lydia's before identifying the group that approached them. She pushed off her locker, moving towards the Cooper girl, assuming that Lydia and Cheryl would follow in suit.

"You know Betty and Kevin aren't going to come this way until you three are gone," Lydia sighed, taking another sip of her coffee before watching the group move in their direction.

"I guess the chaos can wait until lunch," Cheryl pouted, tilting her head at the taller girl. The brunette smirked, kissing the redhead quickly. When they stepped apart Lydia slid her hand off the redhead's hip, earning a glare as her fingertips brushed against the Blossom girl's skin that peeked out between the hem of her sweater and the top of her skirt.

"Morning, sunshine," Emery spoke in a sing-song manner, a hop in her step as she moved towards her family friend. She glanced over her shoulder at Lydia for a moment before returning her attention to Betty, throwing the drink tray into the nearest trash can. She moved the few feet until she was directly in front of the group. "Coffee for M'lady," the blonde joked, reaching out to offer the extra coffee cup to Betty. She glanced at Keven, giving him a small nod, "Keller."

Lydia began to make her way towards the group, locking eyes with Veronica for a moment. She could feel Cheryl's eyes burning into her back before she heard the click of heels against tile approaching from behind. Before she could even attempt to turn around Lydia was pulled back against Cheryl. She was immediately met with a deep kiss from the Blossom girl. When the two finally broke apart, Lydia couldn't hold in the soft chuckle that escaped her lips.

"Marking your territory, Red?" Lydia asked, eyebrows raised. "Oh, how mature," She laughed as she walked away from the girl who crossed her arms over her chest and spun on her heels, marching away in the opposite direction. Lydia fixed her lipstick as she reached the group, rolling her eyes at Kevin who stood with his mouth open. "Careful, Keller," She said, placing a finger under the boy's chin. "Don't want to choke on a fly."

Emery shook her head at Cheryl's obvious claim of what was hers, "And so it starts." She muttered before catching Kevin's reaction. For what felt like the hundredth time that morning, she laughed. "That was my reaction last night, but I had alcohol to help me through it." She teased in a volume only loud enough for Lydia to hear.

"Oh, fuck off," Lydia laughed, elbowing Emery. "She's just marking her territory, as usual. As if I can't fend for myself in this _god-forsaken world_," Lydia teased, placing the back of her hand against her forehead and pretending to faint against Emery. She saw Betty smile at the girls as she brought her coffee cup to her lips, trying not to laugh.

Emery scoffed, "And you call me an ass. You would be begging me to come back if I left. Besides, where else would I get my entertainment? You're better than a telenovela at 3am." The blonde rolled her eyes, catching Lydia. A gasp left her lips, "Oh, god! Hurry! Someone go get the Queen. Her damsel's in distress!"

"You two are children," Kevin stated unimpressed. Emery stuck her tongue out at him. Yet another person she tolerated for Betty's sake.

"I'm no damsel, and I'm not in distress," A groan left Lydia's lips as Emery gently pushed her up. "Bite me, Keller," She said, rolling her eyes at the Sheriff's son. The blonde looked over at Veronica, feeling eyes intently on her.

"Right. You must think I'm a complete loon. Emery Westin," She offered the brunette her hand.

"Veronica Lodge," Veronica said, taking Emery's hand in hers. A slight smirk crossed her lips for a moment as she took the blonde in, looking her up and down.

"So, Betty, how boring was the first portion of your tour?" Lydia asked, looking between the three younger teens in front of her. She bit back her comment about the way Veronica looked at Emery, not wanting to make the girl self-conscious.

"Nice to meet you," Emery could definitely do the whole polite thing. Only those who truly knew her would ever be able to see through it. She took her hand back before elbowing Lydia lightly at the small dig. Em moved to stand beside Betty, wrapping an arm around the shorter blonde's shoulders, "What Lil' means is did you skip the school history? As fascinating as it is, not everyone seems to appreciate it."

"Suck up," Kevin muttered.

"Did you skip coffee and go straight to the passive aggressive pills this morning, Keller?" Lydia winced at the elbow to the gut before promptly laughing at Emery's comment towards Kevin.

Betty lightly smacked Emery's stomach, "Behave."

"Wow, I'm really going to need more caffeine to get back on Cheryl-level insults, aren't I?" Lydia asked, shaking her head. She earned a quick glare from Betty before she pointed at the blonde.

"Hey, Polly isn't here to keep me on a leash and you sure as hell don't get to take over as Lydia-keeper. I am a free woman, and I'm enjoying it." Veronica laughed, looking between the members of the group quickly.

"I think you might need something stronger than caffeine," Emery smirked. She lightly squeezed Betty's shoulder at the mention of Polly. "Oh god, you're going to burn the school down by Christmas break... Don't forget to let me help."

"To answer your question," Betty interrupted, looking between Lydia and Emery as she innocently wrapped an arm around Emery's waist. She took a sip of her coffee before making an attempt to continue. Lydia looked at her with eyebrows raised before taking a sip of her own coffee. "No, I didn't skip the school history, it's an important part of every tour."

Kevin carefully gave the duo the side eye. Emery took a drink of her coffee to distract herself for a moment. "Speaking of tours, we should probably continue this one before poor Veronica gets too bored or decides we're small town idiots."

"Speak for yourself," Lydia said, laughing. "I am _the_ small town idiot, and no one could top me." She laughed at her own joke, clearing her throat. "But really, Reggie Mantle is the town idiot, I'm surprised he can keep his GPA high enough to stay on the Varsity football team," Lydia said, pointing at the boy who was still edging her brother on about his sex life in front of his locker.

"I heard that Andrews," Reggie called out, pointing at the girl. "Your guard dogs aren't around to protect you, _Marceline_."

"Ooh, comparing me to a fictional vampire, so scary," Lydia said, mockingly putting her hands up. "Get some better material, Mantle. Who are you going to compare me to next? The Mother of Dragons?" Lydia laughed as Reggie furrowed his brow, thinking. "Thanks for proving my point for me, big boy!" She called out, blowing him as kiss as they passed. For once, Emery kept her mouth shut. She chuckled as Reggie had trouble thinking of a simple comeback. Clearly, he'd taken one to many hits to the head.

"He's going to kick your ass one day, and I'm going to laugh," Kevin scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, please, I could kick his ass four ways to Friday if I actually wanted to, Keller. Don't you forget who I am," She winked at the Sheriff's son before smiling over at Emery and Betty as they walked. Veronica took the awkward silence that formed between the group as her chance to chime in.

"There's the hottie you were with last night, The redheaded Ansel Elgort. Is he your boyfriend?" She asked, directed at Betty.

"No, we're just friends," Betty replied, buried under Lydia and Kevin's responses.

"No, he's straight," Kevin said, sighing.

"Ew, no, he's my _brother_," Lydia spat, shaking her head before finishing the last of her coffee. Unlike the other three, Emery didn't reply as she had seen Veronica look directly at Betty when she asked her question. She unwrapped herself from Betty's grip and tossed her coffee cup into the nearest trash can.

"In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavor of boy but Orange." Betty looked at Veronica, her mouth agape, as Lydia rolled her eyes.

"I will not be pimping out my ass of a little brother," She said, tossing her empty coffee cup into the same trashcan Emery had moved towards.

"Actually, to clarify..." Kevin chimed in, "Betty and Archie aren't dating, but they _are_ endgame."

"Maybe you should ask him to the semiformal then," Veronica said, her eyes still locked on Archie as they moved through the hallway.

"She should, but I heard it might be getting cancelled," Kevin said, shaking his head. "Because of what happened to Jason. They're gonna tell us at the assembly."

"Who's Jason and what happened to him?" Veronica asked as they approached Lydia's classroom. _Oh boy_, Lydia thought, not ready for this conversation. _Here we go_.

"Jason was Cheryl Blossom's brother," Lydia started, shaking her head. "Not only that, he was a decent friend to a lot of people. But, in old Riverdale fashion, he went missing on July fourth and hasn't been seen or heard from since." She kept the personal details to herself. She pivoted at the nearest doorway as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder, not in the mood for any more questions from her Manhattan-sized regret that stood before her.

"This is my stop," She said, giving a mock salute to the group in front of her before composing herself and entering the room.

"Good morning, Freshman Chemistry!" Lydia called out, loud enough for the group outside of the doors to hear her.

"Good morning, Miss Andrews," The students echoed in a melancholy tone. Emery sent a pitiful glare in Lydia's direction as she bailed, even if it was for a legit reason. This was not a conversation she wanted to be stuck in, especially not alone. She turned back to face the three that were left with her. Kevin seemed to have a smug glint in his eye— so much for the gays sticking together. Emery scratched at the back of her neck, a nervous tick she'd had since she was small. "I'm going to head to class too, I've got to get to the other side of campus. I'll see you at lunch, Betty." _Maybe_. Without waiting for a response, she was gone.


	5. four

four

Veronica sat between Emery and Betty at the assembly while Cheryl Blossom gave a speech about her brother at the podium below. As usual, Lydia wasn't very far from the redhead in question as moral support. "So, I speak with the confidence only a twin could have... Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year mourning. Jason would want us to move on with our lives."

"And that means moving on from Lydia too," Betty mumbled, earning a glare from Emery, accompanied by her fingers mimicking a zipper across her lips for extra emphasis, and a weird look from Veronica. Cheryl's hazel eyes met with Lydia's blue ones for support before she quickly looked back at the podium in front of her.

"And that's why I've asked the school board not to cancel the Back-to-School semiformal." Cheryl looked back up as the crowd in the bleachers cheered. "But rather, to let us use it as a way to heal, collectively, and celebrate my brother's too, too short life on this mortal coil. Thank you all." Lydia looked up at the bleachers and saw her brother staring at someone. She followed his gaze and saw that he and Ms. Grundy had locked eyes while the rest of the crowd was celebrating. She rolled her eyes, frustrated that her brother was so blatantly obvious about his unconventional relationship, before bringing her attention back to the Blossom girl. As Cheryl walked towards her, Lydia unwrapped her arms from around herself and took a few steps forward. She shoved a hand into her pocket as the other found it's way onto Cheryl's shoulder, pulling the redhead into her side protectively.

* * *

Lunch came sooner than Emery would have liked. If it hadn't been for the fact Cheryl had promised to bring the drama during Lunch, she would have— more than likely— bailed out. Unfortunately, she wanted to be there for her friends in case Cheryl went _full on_ tornado. She walked through the cafeteria and out into the yard, quickly finding their normal table and taking a seat beside Lydia. It wasn't unusual for Emery to be the last member of the group to find their way to the table, but she found it odd that Veronica hadn't somehow found her way there before her. Jokingly, she leaned into Lydia's side to whisper to her.

"You, Miss _Jones,_ have a lot of explaining to do and, if you ever bail on me like that again, I will beat you."

"I'd love to see you try, blondie," Lydia responded, picking a blueberry from her tray and tossing it into her mouth as she smirked at the girl. Archie was playing the song that they had recorded together, and Lydia was trying her best to ignore it. She had hated hearing her own voice playback and Archie knew that better than anyone.

Veronica walked out of the cafeteria with her tray of food, looking around from table to table, searching for a familiar face. She approached a table where Betty and Archie sat across from Kevin, Lydia and Emery.

"Can I join?" she asked, looking between Betty and Lydia.

"Yeah, of course." Emery answered for the two with a large smile. _Payback's a bitch._ "Here, take my seat," She stood up before moving to sit on the other side of Archie. As she did so, the blonde gave Lydia a smug smirk.

Her eyes scanned the cafeteria for Cheryl. Emery might like to mess with Lydia, but that didn't mean she didn't have the girl's back. Her behavior was simply payback for previously leaving her in a horrible conversation alone.

_You're dead meat_, Lydia mouthed across the table, shaking her head as she grinned at the girl. She slid down so that Veronica could sit between her and Kevin. _Payback_, Emery mouthed in response. Lydia laughed as she tossed another blueberry into her mouth, making sure to flip the blonde off as she did so. Emery rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. _So, maybe they were children. _She placed a hand over her heart faking as if she'd be shot.

"What are we doing?" Veronica asked as she sat across from Archie.

"Listening to one of Archie's songs," Betty boasted, looking at Archie longingly.

"I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good." Kevin said, sandwich in hand.

"Yeah, who would've known my brother had such a talent," Lydia smirked, winking at her brother.

"Wait, that was you singing? Something you wrote?" Veronica asked, picking at some food on her tray.

"It's rough." Archie shook his head, a complete lack of confidence in himself clear. Emery let out a groan, popping a grape into her mouth.

"Quit fishing Andrews. Music is in your blood," Emery told him as nicely as she could. "Humble doesn't suit you."

"It's incredible, actually, the little snippet I heard. Who were the female vocals? Was that you, Betty?" Veronica leaned in, her elbow on the table.

"No, actually, that would be me," Lydia said, pointing a finger upward as she picked up the blueberry muffin off her tray.

"Aah, a science nerd and a musician, who would've known." Veronica responded, nudging Lydia before turning her attention back to Archie. "Is that your thing? Music? Are you doing something with that?" Veronica's comment had Emery tilting her head just slightly, taking the brunette in again as she had this morning. Yes, Veronica had kissed Lydia in New York, but it was clear the Serpent was taken. Yet, here Veronica was, still flirting— but she was also shamelessly flirting with Archie even after the extremely uncomfortable conversation Emery had been a part of this morning. Yeah, something was definitely up with this girl. Cheryl taking her down a peg or two couldn't hurt, right?

"Yeah, that's the plan," Archie nodded, taking a sip of his water. "So, how's your first day going? Good?"

"Not to be a complete narcissist, but I thought people would be more…" Veronica was cut off by Kevin chiming in.

"Obsessed with you?" He asked, leaning past Lydia to look at Veronica. Lydia smacked his shoulder, scoffing. "Any other year you'd be trending number one, for sure. This year, though, it's all about Cheryl trying to win the _Best Supporting Psycho_ Oscar for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow."

"Watch your mouth Keller or, gods as my witness, I will have your head on a stake," Lydia warned, glaring at the boy from across the bench.

Emery didn't hold back when she shoved Kevin's shoulder, causing him to tumble back slightly. Cheryl might act like a _Class A bitch_ but that was all it was— an act. Emery had seen first hand how Cheryl was around Lydia when prying eyes weren't watching. "Seriously. Keep it up Keller. I played nice this morning but my patience is wearing thin. I will take digs at me. But you are pushing the damn line."

"Emmy," Betty's voice pulled Emery's eyes off the sheriffs son. A wave of guilt hit her; she didn't want to upset Betty but she wasn't going to let Kevin act like a dick. She shook her head, "Anyway..." She turned her head, catching a glimpse of Cheryl as she moved toward the group's table, the redhead's eyes locked on Lydia. _Oh boy, here we go._

"Hey, I should go. I got that meeting with Grundy and then football try-outs, so." Archie said, before Kevin could form a coherent answer for the Serpents. Lydia rolled her eyes at the mention of Archie's current flame, knowing that he shouldn't continue to push to be with her.

"You play football, too? What don't you do?" Veronica asked.

As Archie walked off, Kevin jumped back into the conversation. "Before you ask, Blue Jasmine, no she has not invited him to the dance yet…" Emery took Archie's seat to put more space between her and Keller.

"Not yet, and don't talk about Archie." Betty mumbled as Cheryl approached the table. Emery rolled her eyes once again. Cheryl wasn't stupid, anyone with eyes would know Betty was crushing on Archie. Not to mention, the girl was on a mission. Anything veering from that was unimportant.

_Breathe_ Emery mouthed reaching across the table to squeeze Lydia's hand before focusing on her lunch without the worry of people singing Archie's praises. Lydia sighed at the contact, only then realizing she had been holding her breath.

"Veronica Lodge! I'd heard whisperings. I'm Cheryl Blossom, may I sit?" Without even receiving an answer, she invited herself to the table. "Betty, would you mind?" Betty scooted down and Cheryl sat across from Lydia, locking eyes with Veronica. She gave Lydia a quick glare as if to keep her mouth shut, needing information from Veronica and Veronica only.

"So, what are you three hens, the serpent, and the big bad wolf gossiping about?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?" Lydia scoffed at Cheryl's statement as she shoveled food from her tray into her mouth.

"Extracurriculars." Veronica stated, looking over at Betty.

"Oh, I'm sure Lydia can tell you all about those," Cheryl said sarcastically, causing Lydia to choke on her food. She smirked at the blue-eyed girl, giving her a quick wink while Veronica talked.

"Did I miss someone handing out the passive aggressive pills this morning?" Emery asked Lydia after watching the girl choke, amusement sparking in her eyes. The blonde glanced at Cheryl with a subtle smirk. This wasn't how she imagined lunch going, but so far it was all good.

"We have a ton of extracurriculars you could join, Veronica," Emery looked back at the brunette. "Just depends what you like."

"Weatherbee wants me to sign up for a few," Veronica continued, placing her hand on Lydia's back as the Serpent caught her breath. Lydia tensed up at the brunette's touch and stared at Cheryl with wide eyes. Emery watched Lydia tense and sent a glance in Cheryl's direction. Yeah, this was the calm before the storm.

"Cheerleading! You must. I'm senior captain of the River Vixens." Cheryl pulled her hair from one shoulder to the other, not making eye contact with Lydia.

"Is cheerleading still a thing?" Kevin asked, staring at Cheryl. He hated how she treated Lydia after Jason went missing and was still upset about how they ended things. Little did he know, it wasn't about how things ended but instead about a certain incident from New York involving the two girls seated across from her.

"Is being the Gay Best Friend still a thing?" Cheryl retorted, causing Lydia to clear her throat. "Some people say it's retro, I say it's eternal and iconic." Cheryl shifted her weight, redirecting her attention to Veronica.

"Hey!" Emery objected to Cheryl's rebuttal, though directed at Kevin it was somewhat funny.

"At Spence, I sat at the top of the Elite Pyramid. I'm in," Veronica said, nodding before turning and smirking at Lydia. "Betty, you're trying out, too." For a _'former'_ mean girl, the brunette didn't seem to see the trap that was just laid before her. Shown even more by the fact she was trying to drag Betty into it. Emery knew how Cheryl was during try outs and practices. Even with Lydia being there, it would possibly lead to disaster.

"Of course! Anyone's welcome to try out, but Betty's already got so much on her plate right now and being a Vixen is kind of a full-time thing. But, open to all!" Lydia laughed again, shaking her head at Cheryl. She tilted her head, not sure if Cheryl was trying to spare Betty or take a dig at her. With an silent groan she shook her head, already knowing how the hour after school was going to be. She was thankful that Zoe was already enrolled in the after school program since she worked at the garage on the southside. Out of the corner of her eye, Emery saw Betty shift slightly in her seat, more than likely remembering what had happened last year. She sent the Cooper girl a reassuring smile. If Betty wanted to try again, Emery would be there to support her.

"If that was true, I would've never been a River Vixen," Lydia mumbled under her breath. Cheryl glared at her quickly, as if telling her to shut up. Lydia sighed, knowing exactly where this offer for try-outs was going. Cheryl stood up from the table, glancing at Lydia quickly before speaking again.

"Follow me on twitter and I'll do the same," Cheryl said to Veronica, completely ignoring Lydia's comment. "My handle is cherylbombshell." Lydia proceeded to leave the table to throw away her tray of food.

"Okay, go ahead and hate on cheerleading, but if Hipster Prince Harry…" Veronica was cut off by Betty's sincere words.

"I'd love to be a cheerleader— It would look great on my college applications— but last year, when I tried out, Cheryl said I was too fat." Betty smiled and cocked her head to the side as Lydia returned to the table.

"Too season five Betty Draper. It was a great line, but, not at all true." Kevin said, quickly catching himself.

"Hey, at least you weren't only on the team because you were sleeping with the queen," Lydia said, rolling her eyes as Veronica let out a slight chuckle. "And you know I never agreed with why she wouldn't let you be a part of the team. I mean, you used my routine, which Polly and I spent half of a summer teaching you, and she still wouldn't budge." Lydia looked at Betty with sincere eyes, placing her hand on top of the blonde's.

"You know that you would have been our third Vixen to ever make varsity their freshman year if I had any say in the matter, Betty," She shook her head, looking down at their hands. "Polly and I were the only two to make varsity as freshman, and you don't understand how badly we wanted that for you too." She removed her hand from on top of the Cooper girl's and leaned back, exhaling harshly. "Unfortunately, I'm no longer senior captain and it wasn't my call to make."

"Look, if you want to be a River Vixen, I'll help you prep. I have moves," Veronica said, smiling at the blonde girl. Betty smirked, apple in hand.

"Okay. You know what? Show me your moves." Betty bit into her apple, smirking.

Something about Veronica's comment made Emery's stomach clench in knots. Why, she wasn't sure, but it didn't sit right with her. Gathering her trash, Emery stood up. "I'm gonna head out. I've got to switch out my books anyway." She gave Lydia a small smile. "I'll come what try outs later," and with that she was gone. Lydia sighed, waving to Emery as she left. She was not prepared to sit back and watch Cheryl tear into the new meat that would show up for try-outs that afternoon. _How many were going to cry this year? _She thought, looking up at the sky above her as she let out a groan.


	6. five

five

It felt like only moments had passed as Lydia sat next to Cheryl in her River Vixen uniform, watching the waves of girls trying out. Emery carefully made her way into the gym as silently as she could to watch the try-outs. She acted as if she was walking through a mine field, not wanting to piss Cheryl off and get thrown out. Her stomach hadn't settled since lunch, her mind replaying the short bit between Betty and Veronica, along with the trap she knew the HBIC had set. She sat further back on the bleachers, satchel over her shoulder, Serpents jacket folded carefully over her arm. She watched the hoards of girls attempt to impress Cheryl and Lydia, cringing at some of them while others had made her smirk slightly. Wave after wave, Lydia and Cheryl marked down scores for the girls until it was finally Betty and Veronica's turn.

"We're blue and gold! We're dynamite! We'll take you down and fight the fight! Whoo! Go, Bulldogs!" Betty and Veronica chanted in unison, using bland stereotypical moves. Lydia sighed and shook her head; she expected more from the two of them. Emery's brows furrowed, confused by how basic Veronica's chosen routine had been.

"Hmm. Ladies, where's the heat? Where's the sizzle?" Cheryl asked, looking at Lydia, half expecting the pair to use another one of the Serpent's personal routines to try-out. She knew whole heartedly that Betty had done circles around that routine on her own the year prior.

"We want to see energy. New moves we haven't seen used thousands of times before," Lydia chimed in, looking between the two of them. "I know you both can do better than this." Emery saw a spark in Veronica's eyes, the knot in her stomach from earlier tightened and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Whatever Veronica had planned, it wasn't going to be good.

"Well, you haven't seen our big finish yet." Veronica said, her hands on her hips. She turned and grabbed Betty's arm before whispering to her. "Don't freak out. Just trust me." Veronica grabbed Betty's face and waited for a moment before the blonde followed through and pulled her in for a deep kiss on the lips. Lydia practically choked on her water, spitting half of it out on the floor in front of her. Cheryl rolled her eyes and handed her clipboard to the third cheerleader sitting with them. As they finally separated, Veronica locked eyes with Lydia and smirked. The Serpent rolled her eyes, seeing through Veronica's play.

"Check your sell-by date, ladies, faux lesbian kissing hasn't been taboo since 1994. So, let's see if you do better with the interview portion of our audition." Cheryl made herself noticeably clear before turning to Lydia, only now realizing that her face was beet red from frustration. "Betty, how's your sister doing?"

"Um, Polly's fine, thanks for asking." Betty said, confused.

"Veronica, has Betty told you about her sister yet?" Cheryl asked, earning Lydia's attention.

"Cheryl why are you asking these questions. You don't need to probe into Betty's life like this." She placed her hand on Cheryl's thigh, rubbing small circles with her thumb subconsciously. Cheryl locked her fingers with Lydia's and turned to face Veronica, causing the Serpent to grasp her clipboard in her spare hand and roll her eyes.

"Uh, no." Veronica responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Go ahead, Betty," Cheryl prodded. "Tell Veronica about your sister and my dear brother."

Emery dropped her satchel and jacket making her way closer to the group, "Betty don't answer her." Emery's voice was low, dangerous almost. "Cheryl stop, we all know you're the bitch in charge. No need to abuse that power now. Lash out at someone else," Emery hinted that Veronica should have been the victim and not Betty, begging the redhead to pull the attention from her friend. Lydia dropped her clipboard and grabbed Emery's wrist gently, pulling her back towards the Vixens on the side.

"Em, don't. You know you'll only make it worse," Lydia looked up at the blonde with pleading eyes, hoping she would understand. "They don't know," Lydia growled, looking to Betty and Cheryl quickly before looking back at Emery. "Do not make this worse than it already is, please." The last thing that Lydia needed was for a gym full of teenage girls to find out that her best friend since birth is locked away because she's pregnant and that there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Emery Westin would tear the world to pieces for three people: Zoe, Betty, and Lydia. Those same three people were the only ones who could reel her in if she ever spiraled. Fiery green eyes snapped down to where Lydia had grabbed her wrist. Reluctantly she allowed Lydia to pull her back, the girl's words breaking through the anger filled haze of her mind. "Then fucking stop her, Lily," She whispered harshly. Emery wouldn't intentionally hurt Lydia or try to make things worse.

"Polly and Jason dated," Betty sighed, not understanding the point of this interrogation. Betty's voice pulled Emery's attention back to the blonde. She could see how uncomfortable she was, hear it in her voice. She should have just told Betty that cheerleading wasn't worth it.

A protective growl left Emery's lips, "Lydia...I'm serious. Shut her down now before I do."

"I wouldn't say dated," Cheryl scoffed.

"It didn't end well." Betty looked down at her feet, shifting her weight anxiously.

"In fact, Jason's probably why your sister had a nervous breakdown and now lives in a group home, isn't it?" Cheryl continued to push at Betty, knowing how sensitive of a subject this was for her. Lydia, being the only team member who had ever spoken against Cheryl, spoke up once again.

"Cheryl, as your Co-Captain I'm asking you to stop. Betty isn't your little puppet, and neither am I. You know what Polly means to me."

"That's what my parent's think," Betty said, speaking over Lydia.

"What do you have to say about that, Betty? Go ahead, the floor is yours. Whatever you've been dying to spew about Jason and how he treated Polly, unleash it. Destroy me. Tear me a new one. Rip me to shreds. Annihilate me." Lydia watched Betty clench her fists in anger. Emery knew there would be red crescent moons in the palms of the other girl's hands, her nails possibly drawing blood.

"I just…"

"Finally," Cheryl said to herself. Lydia placed her head in her hands and sighed.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry, about what happened to Jason. I can't even imagine what you and your family must be going through." Betty continued, looking down at the ground. Lydia looked up and saw Veronica studying Betty's face before looking next to herself and watching Cheryl's face fall, her defenses faltering.

"Right." She took a moment to compose herself and Lydia wondered if she should lend a comforting hand. "Veronica!" Cheryl's facial expressions completely changed. "Does Betty know how you know dear Deedee here?"

"I told you it was fine," Lydia said, raising her brow at the blonde standing over her as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Never underestimate a Cooper." A smirk appeared on the Serpent Princess' lips as she spoke, leaning back in her chair, not really paying any attention to Cheryl's words. Emery rolled her eyes, hands still twitching even though the attention was no longer on Betty.

"Not so much underestimating as it is being overprotective," the girl mumbled before backing away to gather her things she dropped, sitting in the closest bleacher and ignoring the looks from the other Vixens. Everyone knew Emery didn't give a damn what they thought of her. With Betty out of the fire, it was time to watch Cheryl do what she did best.

"They met at Pop's the same night we did," Betty said, highly confused.

"_Wrong!"_ Cheryl called out, throwing her arms into the air. She turned to Lydia and tilted her head, almost as if to beg her to spill the information at hand before she did it herself. Lydia suddenly snapped her head in Cheryl's direction, fire behind her blue eyes.

"Cheryl _Marjory_ Blossom, do not do this right now, I _beg_ of you."

"Lydia and I met in New York City over the summer," Veronica spat out quickly, shaking her head. "She told me her name was _Blue_ and that she was in town visiting her mother. We kept running into each other, so I asked her if she wanted to grab a drink at a quiet spot, and, one thing led to another, and…" Cheryl cut her off before she could go any further.

"And you defiled Lydia in a dingy musty college-bar bathroom." Cheryl was practically shouting, still angry over what had happened between the two girls while Lydia was on the run.

"Cheryl," Lydia warned, glaring at the Blossom girl. Cheryl raised her hand as if to silence the other girl.

"And there's the tornado," _at least it wasn't directed at Lydia_. Although, sharing their drama with the whole squad was a bit much.

"Did you or did you not defile Lily in a bathroom, Veronica?" Cheryl asked, her chin turned up in a regal manner.

"We made out?" Veronica said, a mixture of defense and confusion in her tone of voice. "And then I never heard from her or saw her again."

"Wait, you two did what?" Betty asked, looking between the co-captain and brunette quickly. Before Veronica could ask her next question, Lydia answered it for her.

"I called Cheryl the next morning and told her everything. I was full of regret and completely drunk and I shouldn't have even accepted the offer in the first place. If I hadn't agreed to go out for drinks, we would have never," She stopped to talk in a much less rushed pace. "If I hadn't gone out for drinks with you, you would have never kissed me, and I wouldn't have felt so terrible for having left to visit my mo—my aunt Evie."

"Great!" Cheryl said, in a much more chipper tone than she had been speaking in previously. "Now, as for my decisions, Ladies. Betty, Veronica… I'm sorry but neither of you are cut out to be River Vixens. Better luck next year!" Cheryl stood up to dismiss try-outs but was met with the frustrated face of her girlfriend.

"Cheryl you literally can not just turn people away because you're upset with them." Lydia piped up, defending Betty and Veronica.

"Why? I did the same thing with you when Jason died because you were interning his case," Cheryl snapped back, causing Lydia to grit her teeth and look away. As Cheryl snapped at Lydia, a shiver rolled down Emery's spine but it wasn't enough for her to jump up. Lydia would and could handle it. If Cheryl pushed too far and Lydia wanted her help, the Serpent would let her know.

"That's not why you pushed me away and you know it, Cheryl," Lydia whispered, causing the Blossom girl to swallow hard, facing Betty and Veronica once more.

"Scatter, ladies! I told you, try-outs are over; better luck next year!" Cheryl tried to shoo them away but was met with an angry Veronica Lodge. Emery rolled her eyes and she stood, ready to take a few steps forward to be there for Betty if she needed her but Veronica's fury made her stop.

"Oh boy," Emery drawled out; this drama show wasn't over yet.

"Wait, What? Why?" Veronica asked, shocked. "Because you couldn't bully Betty into being a bitch?" Emery nudged Lydia in an attempt to draw her attention back to Veronica.

"I need girls with fire on my squad. It's one of the only reasons why Lydia's still on it." Cheryl said simply, causing Lydia to roll her eyes.

"I know what you need, Cheryl, because I know who you are. You would rather people fear than like you, so you traffic in terror and intimidation. You're rich, so you've never been held accountable, but I'm living proof. That certainty, that entitlement you wear on your head like a crown; it won't last. Eventually, there will be a reckoning. Or…" Veronica paused and began to move forward. Lydia looked between the two girls, her eyes wide and her heart in her stomach. There is the darkness that had rubbed Emery the wrong way this morning. A person could pretend to be one way, but their true colors would always shine through at some point.

"Why didn't you listen, Blue?" Emery hissed in a volume only Lydia could hear as Veronica moved closer. This was not going to end well at all; it was the first day and it was already a mess. It was clear to Emery that this year was going to be even worse.

"Maybe that reckoning is now. And maybe, that reckoning…" Veronica stopped right in front of Lydia and Cheryl, arms crossed once again. "Is me. You wanted fire? Sorry Cherylbombshell, my specialty's ice." Cheryl took in a sharp breath as Lydia shook her head at the catfight about to begin before her eyes.

"God damn it. Go get your fucking uniforms from Tina," Lydia said, waving Betty and Veronica away. "I will not stand here and watch a catfight unleash because a third heir is fighting for the Iron Throne. This isn't fucking Westeros, it's Riverdale." She shook her head as she placed a hand on Cheryl's arm, prepared to pull her aside.

As Lydia snapped, Emery didn't even flinch. A small smirk painted her lips until her eyes landed on Betty. She viewed Veronica as a friend and here Emery was more than thrilled that Lydia was shutting the girl down, nerd talk and all, but Veronica had brought it upon herself. Her smirk turned to a sympathetic smile directed toward the other blonde. "Oh, and don't forget that the Night King is weak to Valyrian Steel, dear Veronica. By the way, my specialty is with a needle." Cheryl laughed as Lydia dragged her away. Emery stepped back as Lydia drug Cheryl out into the hall.

"Lily, I know you were trying to be intimidating, but that was a terrible reference to Arya Stark," Cheryl said, trying to catch her breath.

"You ruined it by laughing, you ass," Lydia chuckled as they made their way into the hall. "Just because you're in charge doesn't mean I gave up my crown. Would you rather I had used Marjory Tyrell instead of Arya?" She scoffed as Cheryl's eyes lit up.

"You know how much I love Natalie Dormer," Cheryl said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, bite me," Lydia rolled her eyes, beginning to walk toward the girl's locker room to gather her things.


	7. six

"Wait, Lily?" Cheryl asked, softly.

"Yes?" The serpent spun around, a slight smirk on her lips as her eyes landed on the redhead.

"I'll pick you up for the semiformal at six o'clock sharp." Cheryl smiled up at the taller girl, a gleam in her eyes.

"And only a day's notice. Look at you, getting better at letting me know when we have plans," Lydia said sarcastically. Cheryl rolled her eyes and turned around to collect her things. "I'll be ready by the time you get there." Like clockwork, Emery stepped into view with Betty.

"Awe, two of my favorite blondes," She said, smiling. She took a step forward, laughing with a shake of her head. "Just don't tell Spellman," She joked before her attention turned to Betty. "How's the palms?" Lydia asked, earning a shrug in response.

"Nothing a little disinfect can't fix." Emery placed a gentle hand on Betty's back much like she had with Lydia the night before, small circles being rubbed by fingertips.

"I should catch up with Veronica," Betty sighed, looking between the two Serpents in front of her. "Otherwise, she's just going to come looking for me and that might just start another fight with Cheryl." Emery and Lydia nodded, letting Betty move towards the door. Once Betty was out of earshot, Emery gave Lydia a sheepish smile.

"Sorry for back there," she nodded toward the gym. "I just...seeing Veronica kiss Betty all for a power ploy and to get under your skin. It snapped something inside of me. Then, Cheryl—" She paused momentarily in order to gather her thoughts as to not say anything that could come off as negative towards the redhead. "Still, I shouldn't have let myself get that riled up. Thank you for stopping me. Thank you for trying to help Betty." Emery brushed a few blonde strands behind her ear, "I'm sorry I almost made things worse. I would never want—I wouldn't want to hurt Polly, Lily. I'm sorry." Lydia placed a hand on Emery's cheek, making her look into her blue eyes so that the blonde understood she was being sincere.

"Em, I know you better than you think I do," She said, laughing. "One misstep from Cheryl and you would have spilled Pol's information without meaning to. It's in our blood to defend the ones we love like there's no tomorrow." She pulled the blonde in for a quick hug. Emery leaned into Lydia's touch some, she nodded slightly knowing Lydia was right. It would never be intentional, hurting Polly; at least Lydia knew that. The blonde hugged Lydia back, thankful that she understood.

A dry laugh echoed in the empty hallway, "Come with me? I've got to get Zoe."

"Of course, Em. You know I'm always there to support you," Lydia smiled at the blonde before checking the time. "I do need to say goodbye to Cheryl though." Emery nodded, taking a step to the side. As she moved away, Cheryl made her way into the halls, smiling up at the taller girl.

"Can't get enough?" Cheryl asks, smiling.

"You know I can never get enough of you," Lydia said, wrapping the smaller girl in her arms before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I just wanted to say goodbye before I have to go teach a class at the Den." Cheryl rolled her eyes, knowing the Serpent just wanted to spend a little extra time with her before having to follow through with some last minute gang related business.

"Good luck with that," Cheryl responded, tucking a stray hair behind Lydia's ear. "Those Serpents are a stubborn bunch."

"Ah, yes. But are they as stubborn as a Blossom?" Lydia asked, smirking, which earned her a bap on the shoulder. She jokingly collapsed to the ground, making a loud thud which caused Emery to turn around just to see was going on. "This is _spousal_ abuse," Lydia called out, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Someone _arrest_ this woman!" She rolled on the floor, laughing as Cheryl's face turned bright red, stepping over the girl and walking away.

"I'm not playing your silly games today, Blue," Cheryl says sternly, not even looking back at the taller girl.

"This is spousal _abandonment_!" Lydia calls out again, still laying on the floor laughing. Emery raised a brow at Lydia's antics, her own laughter joining in. Shaking her head she leaned against the lockers just watching them.

"It would be domestic abuse, Lil. You aren't married... yet!" She gave Cheryl a timid smile as the redhead approached to pass her. "Hey Cherry Cola." She paused, looking down at her hands before speaking gain. "I'm sorry I lost it. I didn't even have a right to be in the gym anyway, and I didn't have a right to basically challenge you in front of the Vixens. I reacted before thinking. Guess I've been around a certain blue eyed _smartass_ too much." Cheryl rolled her eyes at the Serpent still laying on the ground.

"I'm not helping you up, Princess," Cheryl called out, turning her attention to Emery, unable to hold in a laugh. Her demeanor immediately hardened before she spoke to the blonde in front of her.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Emery. You did exactly as I would in your situation." She smirked slightly at the green-eyed girl before turning around, hearing Lydia still whining. Emery gave her a small smile with a nod of her head, at least Cheryl understood too. This was why she was always quick to jump to Lydia's side when someone tried to talk about Cheryl, this side where she was human. Where she showed understanding, compassion, genuine friendship. This Cheryl, the one that acted annoyed with Lydia but the small spark in her eye gave it all away, it wasn't an act. Cheryl Blossom was more than _the_ _head bitch in charge_.

"Cheryl, this is heresy!" Lydia called out, pushing herself up and sitting on her knees, pouting.

"I can see right through your tricks, Lydia Rose," Cheryl called, folding her arms in front of her chest and shifting her weight. "You are not pulling me down onto that gross sweaty floor with you!" Lydia laughed, throwing her head back.

"Fine, you big baby," Lydia said, finally standing up and brushing the dust off of herself. "You're such a fun sucker," she mumbled, grabbing her bag as she threw her Serpent Jacket on over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry?" Cheryl asks, her head tilted.

"I said Y**—**O**—**U A**—**R**—**E A F**—**U**—**N S**—**U**—**C**—**K**—**E**—**R." Cheryl flipped her hair to the side, ponytail and all as she rolled her eyes.

"You're a child," She responded, shrugging. Shaking her head, Emery took a few steps toward Lydia.

"Come on, you goof. Zoe is less of a child than you are right now. Also I think I heard you tell Cheryl that you had a class to teach this afternoon." She shrugged her own Serpent jacket on and settled her satchel over her shoulders. "You still have to get ready for that, I've got to get Zoe and get her settled, so let's move it."

"Shit, you're right." Lydia shook her head, mumbling. She couldn't help but let out another laugh as she looked over and caught Cheryl watching her with softened features. "I see you, Blossom," She jokingly narrowed her eyes at the girl before coming up to place a kiss on her cheek.

"Ew, no, you're all dirty," Cheryl whined, shrugging away from the taller girl.

"Meh, you like me dirty," Lydia laughed, placing her forehead on Cheryl's shoulder, quickly earning and eye-roll from the shorter girl.

"Again, you are a child," Cheryl said, a softness to her tone of voice.

"And you love me anyway," Lydia responded, kissing the shorter girl before stepping back, making sure she didn't get dirt on Cheryl's face. "I'll see you in the morning." Lydia turned to Emery, adjusting the strap of her canvas bag on her shoulder. "Let's go." Once Lydia turned toward her, Emery turned and waved to the redhead.

"Bye Cherry Cola." Emery moved toward the doors that would take them outside. Lydia stood up straight and regained her composure as they walked out the doors, turning _HBIC Lydia_ on like a switch.


End file.
